IFC Midnight Picks Up “The Stranger”

IFC Midnight has announced its acquisition of upcoming horror “The Stranger”. The film is directed by Guillermo Amoedo and stars Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Aaron Burns, Cristobal Tapia Montt. “The Stranger” is framed around a mysterious man who arrives in a small Canadian town seeking his wife,. The stranger’s presence  plunges the community into a bloodbath.

New Lobby Cards Released For Giallo Short “Deep Shock”

Davide Melini has released new lobby cards for his giallo horror short film “Deep Shock”. You can check out all the lobby cards released below. “Deep Shock” stars Laura Toledo  ( La herencia Valdemar ) ,  Francesc Pagès  ( Darkness  of  Jaume Balaguer ),  Paco Roma  ( Las Hijas de Danao ),  Estela Fernandez  ( Love in Difficult Times )  Erica Prior  ( Los Hombre de Paco ) and  Luis Fernández de Eribe  ( Bajo de estrellas a mantle ).

Her worst nightmare has become reality!

Sarah can’t completely overcome the deaths of her grandfather and her older sister. The trauma and lack of sleep cause her to embark on a strange journey of apparitions and murders, apparently caused by her mind...

           It is one of the most famous and recognized psychologists city. Great family friend for a long time. Its role will be played by Catalan Francesc Pagés .

            It is the smallest of the Taylor sisters, as well as the protagonist of the film. It's a girl with many problems, which can not overcome completely the serious difficulties that have affected his family. Its role will be played by Sevillian Laura Toledo .

            He is the grandfather of Sarah, Caroline and Helen. Millionaire, he left all his possessions to the three grandchildren. He has a great friendship with Father Jonah and the psychologist Marius. Its role will be played by Luis Fernández de Eribe (Bilbao).

           He is the eldest of eight years largest of Caroline. It is one of the causes of sickness of Sarah. Its role will be played by the Anglo-American Erica Prior .

            It's the middle of the sisters, aged two largest Sarah. It's a pretty strong, very linked to Sarah. Its role will be played by the Catalan Estela Fernández .

           He is a man in one piece, with great faith and this thought does sometimes collide with Earth more than the psychologist Marius Silver. Nonetheless, the two are very much respect. Great family friend, saw the birth of all three sister. Its role will be played by malaghegno Paco Rome .

“Fight Of The Living Dead” Series On CONtv

Shot over the course of two days at Sybil Brand Women’s Prison in Los Angeles, ‘FIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD’ competitors were first blindfolded, driven in circles, led onto the set, and zipped into body bags, all to help simulate the all-too-real tension of awaking in a post-apocalyptic landscape riddled by monsters out for blood. Instructed by a faceless character named Dr. Altagracia (portrayed by Tony E. Valenzuela, Executive Producer and founder of YouTube’s #1 ranked genre channel BlackBoxTV), the "survivors" are tasked finding the antidote that can save mankind.

Enlisting over 200 extras, FX Supervisor Tommy Pietch ("Face Off") and his team create a horrifying mob of rotting, wounded, bloody zombies tasked with keeping the competitors from accomplishing their mission. ‘FIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD’ also turns up the thrills by including a collection of zombie-clad Parkour experts, overseen by renowned stunt coordinator Chris Carnel (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), who use the prison’s walls as their terrifying playground, threatening to unleash destruction from any angle.

Requiring over 60 cameras to track each competitor as they fight to survive the game, each participant was also clad with their own GoPro cameras so that the viewers may get even closer to all the explosive action.

‘FIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD’ is produced by Alpine Labs and Revolver Picture Company; Alpine’s Kevin Abrams, Jamie Denenberg, BlackBoxTV’s Tony E. Valenzuela, and Aaron Lewis are Executive Producers; Revolver Picture Company’s Rodney Frazier, Nick Phillips and Kelly Martin Wagner are Co-Executive Producers. It will air on CONtv.

Here is CONtv’s official press release of upcoming programming expansion which includes ‘Fight Of The Living Dead’:

CONtv has announced an expansive portfolio of acquired film and television content that will be available on the new digital network. Launching in early 2015, the direct-to-consumer digital service geared specifically for fans in the Comic-Con community, will also include the previously announced original program "Fight of the Living Dead," a horror-competition series from Alpine Labs, BlackBoxTV, and Revolver Picture Company. CONtv plans to announce additional programming initiatives, original series, and talent partnerships in the coming weeks.

Spanning cult television, sci-fi, horror and fantasy films, grindhouse classics, thrilling martial arts adventures, and more, CONtv’s extensive launch offering includes:

Superhero Action: "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe," "Voltron," "Trial of the Incredible Hulk," "She-Ra: Princess of Power" Cult Classics: Godzilla, Death Race 2000, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Return of the Killer Tomatoes, Beware the Blob, Transylvania 6-5000, Night Patrol; Horror: Evil Dead, Re-Animator, Hellraiser, I Spit on Your Grave (#1 and #2), Hellboy: Blood & Iron, Rob Zombie Presents The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, Ichi the Killer, Puppet Master, Embrace of the Vampire; Martial Arts: Fists of Fury, Shaolin, Man from Nowhere, War of the Arrows, Legend of the Fist, Yakuza Weapon, Blade of Kings, Lady Ninja; Gaming: "Sonic the Hedgehog," "Super Mario Bros," "Legend of Zelda," "Stargate Infinity," "Street Fighter Alpha," "Heavenly Sword"; Sci-Fi/Fantasy Television: UK’s "Being Human," "Farscape," "Highlander," "Demon King," "Stargate Infinity"; Anime: "Yu-Gi-Oh," "Beyblade," "Digimon," "Ghost in the Shell," "High School of the Dead," "Saint Seiya," "Angel Beats," "Clannad".

CONtv is a joint venture between Cinedigm, a leading independent content distributor, and Wizard World, a leading producer of live pop culture multimedia conventions.

"CONtv is at the apex of fan culture," said Bill Sondheim, President of Cinedigm Entertainment. "It’s a celebration of the best in fandom, with carefully selected and curated content from some of the industry’s top creators."

CONtv has licensed this content from well-known distributors including Starz, RLJ Entertainment, DHX Media, The Jim Henson Company, Full Moon Films, Sentai Filmworks (aka Anime Network), Well Go USA, and Zodiak Media. Carefully selected for the passionate fans that make up the CONtv audience, these new partnerships enable the network to carry a deep catalogue of the best in pop culture obsession from pulse-pounding horror, to short-lived TV series, to cult classic films. With a selection ofmovies from cult directors Ed Wood, John Carpenter and Roger Corman, the digital network will also feature George Clooney’s famous performance in Return To Horror High, Seth Green in Arcade, Bruce Campbell in My Name Is Bruce, Gary Busey’s Gingerdead Man series and Tommy Chong’s Evil Bong films.

"We are excited to offer fans a robust cross section of content curated especially for them," says John Macaluso, CEO of Wizard World. "Clearly nobody knows the comic community better than our staff - we’ve got the most rabid fans amidst our own ranks shaping CONtv’s content offering."

The network will also include original series geared specifically to the CONtvfan base. The first of which is an unprecedented mash-up ofreality and scripted genres, "Fight Of The Living Dead," which will be available at launch. The thrilling show follows nine YouTube stars as they work to survive the first 24-hours of a simulated zombie apocalypse. Contestants will face a series of grisly challenges in an attempt to eliminate the competition through the undead’s frightening realistic onslaught.

Upon its launch in early 2015, the digital service will be offered as a free ad-supported platform as well as a low-cost monthly subscription of$6.99/month with content exclusives, audience rewards, a dynamic social viewing experiences, and ticketing bundle opportunities for fans planning to attend Wizard World conventions. CONtv plans to launch across a wide spectrum of devices including Roku, Apple TV, Xbox, PlayStation, Android, Samsung Smart TV, Windows, Mac OS, mobile, and tablet devices.

Official Trailer Release For “Rage: Midsummer’s Eve”

Check out the official trailer release of “Rage: Midsummer’s Eve”, set in the Artic Circle. The film is directed by Tii Ricks and stars Holly Georgia, Johnny Sachon, Michael Vardian, Greta Mandelin, Christian Sandström. “Rage” is set to premiere on March 6th, 2015 and will be available on VOD at that time.

A group of American, English and Finnish friends living and studying in Finland decide to spend their last summer holiday in Finland together.
They decide to make a trip to the Finnish Arctic Circle to celebrate the Midsummer's Eve and to experience the mystique of the Midnight Sun.

Poster Release For Female Anthology “XX”

A new poster has been released for all female horror anthology “XX”. The film brings together directors Karyn Kusama (GIRLFIGHT, JENNIFER’S BODY), Mary Harron (AMERICAN PSYCHO), Jennifer Lynch (SURVEILLANCE), and Jovanka Vuckovic, (THE CAPTURED BIRD). The anthology will comprise four short films featuring female leads.

Poster Art Revealed For “Harvest”

Check out the poster artwork for horror short “Harvest”. The film is directed by Martin Sonntag, and Kim Sønderholm. The film is now complete and scheduled for a festival run in the near future. “Harvest” stars Kim Sønderholm, Siff Andersson, Slavko Labovic, Julie Kunz, and an intro by legendary indie filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman. Not sure on the plot details for this one but I imagine it is about a psycho doctor harvesting people’s organs ….

New Trailer Released For “Escaping The Dead”

It has been a good minute since we last heard anything about “Escaping The Dead”. Now we have a new trailer release for the zombie flick featuring a cameo from indie icon/guru Lloyd Kaufman. The production has been on a hiatus, but the team behind it has definitely not been laying on the low nor stood still.

"Escaping the Dead" is inspired by a series of articles about the death-drug "Krokodil" that was published about the same period of time when Ronald Poppo had his face eaten by a naked man hooked on bath salt in Miami. It is the perfect zombie plot: a death-drug that turns people into zombies.

The film has its starting point in a typical day for the lead character, David. David is the local marihuana pusher, but he is the kind of dealer that smokes more than he sells. In the mean time the country has been hit by a new death-drug and when David and his partner in crime Ahmir is offered some exceptionally cheap cocaine they see it as an opportunity to earn big money at the big techno concert the following Friday, but the cocaine turns out to have a terrible side effect that creates a giant zombie outbreak that spreads across the entire Copenhagen. In the film we follow David and his bloody fight out of the city.

Directed by Martin Sonntag and Bastian Brinch Pedersen, the film stars Bastian Brinch Pedersen (who is also the co-director and producer of the film) as David, Rama Øzel as Ahmir, along with Dorte Rømer ("Breaking the Waves") and Kim Sønderholm ("Cannibal Fog", "Run", "House of Many Sorrows") playing Lars the policeman. Recently Lone Fleming, legendary horror actress from the "Blind Dead" series and Danish origin joined the cast to play Davids mother. 

My Review Of “The Apostate: Call Of The Revenant”

Andy Dodd’s thriller “The Apostate: Call Of The Revenant” is a visceral, dramatic tale based on true events. The film stars Faith Bryhan, James Bryhan, Ella Childs, Carol Cummings, Andy Dodd, Terri Dwyer and Luke Odenwalder. “The Apostate” tells the story of Lance Cooper, grieving father and ravenous killer. Andy Dodd offers up an intense representation of the events surrounding the murder of 5 souls after the death of a father’s child.

The story is a strong, emotional one filled with plenty of melodrama, suspense, and stark realism. “The Apostate: Call Of The Revenant” is a slow burning, fluid piece that tales Cooper’s story in a serious of gritty, horrific flashbacks shrouded in mystery, all of which are framed around an interrogation upon Cooper being brought back to police headquarters.  The cast give powerful, invoking performances that pull you into the film. There is a witty approach that attempts to mask the truth, giving view to both the reality of the evidence, and the reality of Lance Cooper’s belief of events leading up to the truth.

The special effects used in “The Apostate” are practical, raw effects that give plenty of blood and gore. The flashback scenes offer up a bit of “Saw” styled grue that for the most part work perfectly. The atmosphere surrounding these affectual moments is one of true horror. They are on the cheaper side of indie budgeted effects, but due to careful choices by Dodd, and his team, all uses are believable. The soundtrack and music score are stripped down, expected instrumental tones and melodies that push the macabre of the story to chilling levels.

Overall “The Apostate: Call Of The Revenant” gives us a strong, indie true life crime in gory, dramatic honesty. Andy Dodd’s directing shines as does the talents of the cast and crew bringing this nightmare to life. The story is captivating and the special effects are choice. There are moments when the effects-when shown straight on-look cheap. Very few moments but I would be remiss not to point them out. The beginning does move slowly so fans of high energy horror will be bored. The big reveal that gives us truth doesn’t stay elusive beyond the 40 minute mark, and even before that there are hints to the truth visible. That of course is to all who are not familiar with the crimes in this film. “The Apostate: Call Of The Revenant” is, however, a worthy film that warrants watching.

Pagan Festival Shout Out: Paganalia/ Sementivae

All cry, "Hail Ceres!" Then all surround the seeds and hold their hands over them, and together sing Ohm and Ah in harmonies, to carry Ceres' blessing. The seeds are then placed in a special basket shaped like a cradle, and covered with a cloth, and sung to.

It is time once more for the annual Paganalia, also known as Sementivae, the time we give offerings and ask blessings from the gods Ceres & Tellus in honor of the planting season. January 24th marks that time. Ceres, of course, is the Roman grain goddess, and Tellus is the earth itself. This festival was held in two parts -- the first part was held from January 24 to January 26, honoring Tellus, and was a season of sowing the fields. The second part, which began a week later on February 2, honored Ceres as the goddess of agriculture. Ceres is the Roman variant of Demeter, who is strongly tied with the changing of the seasons. (Read Further on this here.)

in the Sabine territories, and among the Samnites, two special priests, called Semones, performed the sowing ritual. At times the Semones were identified as Lares paganales, protective spirits of the pagus fields. the Semones priests offering a sacrifice, and then casting seeds, before the sacrifice is complete, over the altar fire. Minor deities are also mentioned: "Vervactor, the god of breaking up fallow land; Reparator, of renewing its powers; Obarator, of plowing; Occator, of harrowing; Imporcitor, of drawing furrows; Insitor, of grafting; Sarritor, of hoeing; Subruncinator, of weeding; Messor, of harvesting; Convector, of gathering in; Conditor, of storing up; Promitor, of bringing out for use."

First Look At “Ladies Night 2”

Many of you may remember the short film ‘Ladies Night’ featured in the 2013 anthology “Watch This”, it was one of the stand out stories in the series that begged further attention. Well instead of expanding the original story into a feature, Concept Media have decided to pick up with the girls and their wild night’s out with a sequel of sorts, “Ladies Night 2” is a horror short that has the ladies up to their wicked ways once more.

Check out the first look images from “Ladies Night 2”. The film is written and directed by: Ryan Stacy. “LN2” is being produced by  Kelci C. Magel, and Shawn Burkett. The femme fatale-esque flick stars Christy Faulkner, Amanda Collins, Emily Sewell Smith and Kelci C. Magel .

The girls are back, and ready for more brutal, ball busting action! Ladies Night 2, sequel to the 2014 winner of "Best Horror Short" in the 2014 Horror Society Awards, stars Amanda Collins, Emily Sewell Smith, and Christy Faulkner, winner of the "Favorite Scream Queen" in the 2014 Horror Society Awards. Also Midsummer Nightmares/midsummer Nightmares 2 starlet Kelci C. Magel.

LN2 is set to be released in late February / early March by Concept Media
www.conceptmediallc.com

Loads Of New Images For Eli Roth’s “Clown” Surface

Check out the loads of images that have surfaced online for Eli Roth’s upcoming horror “Clown”. The film stars Peter Stormare, Laura Allen, Elizabeth Whitmere, Eli Roth. Chuck Shamata and is directed by Jon Watts. Also Check out the UK cover art for the film which lands on March 2nd, 2015.

It’s Jack’s 10th birthday, but the clown has cancelled. His dad, Kent, finds an old clown suit in the attic and saves the party. But after the party is over, Kent has a problem… the suit won’t come off. What starts as a joke quickly turns into a hellish nightmare. Kent can feel himself changing, and his desperate attempts to free himself just leave him in agonizing pain.

As the suit takes hold of his body, Kent slowly endures a brutal transformation. As he changes, an uncontrollable hunger begins to consume him, an overwhelming and insatiable hunger… for children.

Trailer And UK Artwork For “Extinction”

Check out the second trailer and UK cover art for “Extinction”. The film is directed by Adam Spinks and stars Ben Loyd Holmes, Sarah Mac, Neil Newbon, Daniel Caren, Rebecca Kiser, Ernesto Cantu, Ross O’Hennessy, Simon Burbage, Dolores Reynals. “Extinction” will have its world premiere in London on February 26th, 2015.

Deep in the Amazon jungle a research team lead by a respected Professor embark on an expedition to protect vulnerable and endangered species. After a series of strange events their superstitious guides abandon them and the team choose to remain deep in the jungle, dedicated to the project… but as night falls in the camp they begin to realize that all is not as it seems, and that they are in the hunting ground of a predator…. one they never could have expected.

360 Studios Launches With An Exiting List Of Indie Films

An LA-based team of veterans in the film and music industry is launching a new entertainment company, 360 Studios, serving the fields of film and music production, and spanning the globe with members from Canada to Australia, including Russia, Morocco, England and Mexico.

The company was originally created to produce and finance feature films, in various genres, markets and territories, as 360 Films. Today, the company has, in addition, formed a record label, 360 Records, and is building a solid slate for 2015-2016 releases.

“360 Studios focuses on developing artists to work at their full potential, while providing them with a platform for exposure”, says Keith Barrows, founder.

“I am very thrilled about this new company”, says the newly-appointed CEO Tatyana Bulgakova. “We will act as an incubator and take artists to a level where major record labels will just have to take over and boost them into stardom”.

 How it all began

With 30 plus years of experience, Keith Barrows, the Londonian founder of 360 Studios, started out as an engineer and mixer for artists such as Ozzy Ozbourne, U2, Ray Charles, Black Eyed Peas, Rage against the Machine and on shows such as Michael Jackson’s Earth Song, Kill Bill BANG BANG and The Sopranos. As the supervisor of all the media initiatives of the Sinatra family, he worked in Production Management touring with major artists like Nancy Sinatra and The Commodores in venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Dodgers Stadium. Barrows recently decided to start working on his own projects and that’s when he met his key partner Tatyana Bulgakova. Aside from being a gifted pianist, the three-Master’s degree holder from Russia has traveled around the globe to teach music to students of all levels.

New Images Released For “Treehouse”

Check out the new images released for upcoming horror ‘Treehouse”. The film is directed by Michael G.Bartlett and stars J. Michael Trautmann, Dana Melanie, Daniel Fredrick, Clint James. The film is being alled "a modern day 80s horror classic”, and set to be released on February 20th VOD.

After chasing a mysterious shadow figure into the woods, a young girl disappears and is later discovered by two teenage brothers, trapped inside an old treehouse in the woods. Together they must battle an unimaginable evil that is trying to get in.

New Exclusive Trailer For “Sorrow”

Check out the new exclusive trailer for indie horror “Sorrow”. The film is directed by Millie Loredo and stars Andrew Sensenig, Vannessa Vasquez, Eric Martinez, Mary Etuk, Melissa Mars, Brenden Whitney, Donny Boaz, Evangeline Gabriel Young. The film is expecting an April 12th release.

Early one morning in the bucolic town of Fieldhouse, Texas the local residents awaken and start the day preparing to go about their business. Detective Ana Salinas is called to a crime scene unaware that this dispatch is going to be far from a usual day at work. Inside the modest home are two corpses, a kill room littered with the discarded clothing of numerous victims and strewn with blood smeared torture devices. Ana Salinas partner and lover is killed almost immediately when he unwittingly triggers a booby trap packing spring loaded darts.

A young woman is found at the crime scene, dazed and confused with a bullet wound to the shoulder, but mysteriously slips away from the hospital before she can be questioned. It is revealed that the young woman, Mila Sweeney, a forensic psychologist has been captured weeks before by the Killers, relentlessly tortured and abducted to Texas. Mila has endured nights of unspeakable terror, listening as the psychopaths torture and kill women.

New Trailer For “Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard”

A new trailer has been released for B Harrison Smith’s “Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard”. The film stars Billy Zane, Dee Wallace, Mischa Barton, Gabrielle Stone, Felissa Rose and due out February 3, 2015. The unrated version will land on Blu-ray and DVD at that time.

The rural town of Elwood has always been a "bubble" against the backdrop of an organism-based epidemic where infected humans dont die, instead they roam to spread the infection in a grisly, horrific way. Those who escape must surviveby any means necessary. But at what price?

New Images Released For “Headless”

Check out the new images for the follow up to modern horror “Found”. That film is mind altering disturbia at its best! Check out my review here: My Review Of Found 2012. “Headless” is an expansion film focusing on the fiction horror that the lead character in “Found” was inspired by. “Headless” is directed by Arthur Cullipher and stars Shane Beasley, Kelsey Carlisle, Ellie Church, Dave Parker, Kaden Miller, Jennifer Lee, Haley Madison, Brian Williams, Matt Keeley, Emily McGee, Jessica Schroeder, Olivia Arnold, Nathan Erdel, Ben Monticue, and Magician Johnson.

Official Poster Revealed For “Volumes Of Blood”

Check out the official poster for horror anthology “Volumes Of Blood”. The film brings together indie talents Jakob Bilinski, Nathan Thomas Milliner, John Kenneth Muir, P.J. Starks and Lee Vervoort. The anthology stars Jason Crowe, Roni Jonah, Alexandria Hendrick, Garret Smith, Louisa Torres, Jim O'Rear, Todd Reynolds, Jordan Phillips, Elissa Grant, Louisa Torres, Kristine Renee Farley, and Kevin Roach.


Five tales of dread interwoven when a sociology student gathers several of his friends at the local library to help him create a new urban legend with deadly consequences; Lily is in for a late night of researching and needs something to keep her going. It isn't until she's approached by a mysterious stranger that her luck may change... for the worse; a typical night of work for a librarian becomes a classic ghost story with a modern twist. Sometimes you can't keep a bad book down; Sidney is allowed to stay after hours to study for a test. It's not until she suddenly awakens in the darkened library that she realizes the horrifying truth of what lurks among the stacks of books after midnight. She better pray she doesn't become the prey; Paige faces regrets that she'd do anything to take back. When an ancient and arcane spell book literally falls into her lap, she decides to make a grave decision. Be careful what you wish for, it might just kill you.